Elephant Shoes
by DeJean Smith
Summary: Summary: For fifteen years, they've danced around their mutual attraction, never wanting to cross that line until a class assignment provides the perfect opportunity to say those three magic words. Honorable Mention in the P.S. I love you (2016) contest


P.S. I love you contest entry

Beta: Sunflower Fran

Facebook name and/or Twitter handle: DeJean Smith / dejeansmith

Pen name: DeJean Smith

Title: Elephant Shoes

Summary: For fifteen years, they've danced around their mutual attraction, never wanting to cross that line until a class assignment provides the perfect opportunity to say those three magic words.

Pairing: Bella / Edward

Rating: M

Word count: 7,306

DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.

"Edward!" Emmett bellowed from his seat on the living room couch, surrounded by several empty soda cans and half-filled bags of the primo –o's: Cheetos, Doritos, and Fritos. "Get yer ass out of the shower and come answer your phone!"

Edward emerged from the back bedroom, one towel wrapped around his hips, another roughly scrubbing his hair dry. He paused when his eyes took in the devastation that was once his couch.

"Dude!" he grumbled, pointing at the layer of orange dust surrounding Emmett. "Really? Look at this mess!"

"I'll vac it up. You'll never know it was…"

"Trashed?"

While Edward silently thanked Esme for insisting on the Scotchguard upgrade when he purchased the set, he wondered what had possessed him to room with the lug once they graduated. Four years in a dorm should have taught him something. Emmett may have played college sports, but during the off season, his nutrition was hideous, and he wasn't the neatest of eaters.

Fate had arranged for the two to be roommates freshman year at the University of Washington and they'd become quick friends. But even now, over four years later, Edward's slightly Type-A personality could not fathom Emmett's 'I'll make a mess then clean it up' mentality. He was more of a clean as you go kind of man. Days like today made him feel they were more like Oscar and Felix than Edward and Emmett.

And then, on other days, they were perfect together. Emmett was the best friend anyone could ever hope for. He was loyal, friendly, and intimidating as hell if things got rough.

Edward took a deep breath and slowly released it.

"What were you yelling about?" Edward finally asked, choosing not to pick this battle for a fight.

Shoving another chip in his mouth, Emmett pointed to Edward's phone, which now displayed seven missed calls from Elephant Shoes, before he motioned for his roommate to move out of his line of view for the television. Game Show Network was running a 'Press Your Luck' marathon, after all.

With a muttered _shit_ , Edward picked up the phone and hurriedly headed back to his bedroom for privacy. She never called that frequently unless it was an emergency.

"And who the hell is 'Elephant Shoes'?" Emmett called, downing the final dregs of his latest drink.

A rather impressive belch bubbled up as the punctuation to the question.

Edward froze. He was going to kill Alice for changing Bella's contact information in his phone.

 _How many years have you been pining away for her? And don't think I don't know what you're saying when you call her 'Elephant Shoes.' God! You are so obvious at times. Tell her! Really for real tell her!_

Edward had insisted his nickname was a joke referring to the story of when they first met, but he could tell his sister never believed him. She was far too cagey for his liking. Lately, he had taken to ignoring Alice in the hopes that she would give up.

But Alice Cullen was a tenacious little sister, and she loved Bella as if she were blood. Actually, there were times Edward wondered if Alice cared more for Bella than him. He knew it was only a matter of time before she burst and revealed how he felt about her best friend. He would not be surprised if she had not already started to plan their wedding. Not that _that_ would ever happen.

"Just Alice being funny," he finally said, hoping Emmett would not know he lied as he continued on his way.

Edward didn't hear the scoff or see the shaking head as Emmett muttered something about the Nile River, which was odd since he was an engineer, not a geography major.

Once the bedroom door was securely closed behind him and he was seated on the edge of his crisply made bed, Edward called Bella.

She picked up on the first ring.

"Oh, I am so glad I caught you!"

Edward was used to no greetings from his friend and smiled at how happy she seemed to be to hear from him. He was pleased to hear from her as well.

"Alice and Rose are ditching me this weekend. There's some club they want to go to in Vancouver, and a band playing, and I'm not interested in fifth wheeling it, and I don't have a car and…"

Bella paused for a breath.

"Calm down, Bella. You're confusing me with the blitzkrieg of information. Alice and Rose…

"And their boyfriends."

"And Jasper and Emmett…"

"Right. Are going to Vancouver for the weekend."

That explained the duffel bag in the hallway next to the front door. He had nearly tripped over it when he came home from work.

"And you don't want to be a fifth wheel. Don't blame you."

He roomed with Emmett and knew how he behaved in public with Rose, much less private—the walls weren't that thick. The brief thought of why he hadn't been invited to even out the grouping floated through his head, but he figured it was some band he had no interest in and let it slide.

"So what's the problem?"

He reached for a glass of water and took a quick swig.

"I've got this killer class project due, and I need help with it and…" Bella's voice trailed off as if she were gathering the courage to ask for a favor.

"And?"

"Okay. Here's the thing."

Edward heard the squeak of bedsprings and then the clump of two shoes hitting the floor. He could imagine his sister's best friend and roommate getting comfortable on her bed and kicking back. He enjoyed the relationship they had and the relaxed feeling the two enjoyed with each other. Not every friendship was able to skip the awkward getting to know you stage.

"I have to do this video presentation for Kid Lit. I picked a story that holds special memories from my childhood, and I have to present it as if I'm doing a story time."

"Got it."

"Tanya videoed me the first time, but I'm not sure it's worth anything. She kept getting calls from _Laurent_ , her latest boy toy. _Low rent_ is more like it. Dodgy fellow. Always calls from a different number. Not that I'm judging. Well, yeah. I am. I'm judging hardcore. He's creepy as eff. Anyway, I may have to redo the entire thing. Anyhow, as you know, I can't video edit for shit, either."

Edward grinned at her not so internal commentary. He was used to her oversharing what was going on in her mind. It was one of Bella's best qualities. Edward never had to worry what was going on with her. She just told him.

Suddenly, her call made perfect sense. Edward had finished his degree in advertising and marketing just this past spring, and he had the know-how she needed.

"I know it's the weekend, and you've probably got a date or plans or something…" Bella continued before her voice trailed off.

"No," he said quickly before collecting himself. "No plans at all. Nope. Was just going to catch up on a few things here at the apartment."

He hadn't had a date in several months, and to be honest, he was quite all right with that. He had recently graduated, found a good, entry-level job, and did not have time to socialize.

At least that is what he kept telling himself. A few of his closest friends *cough, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Rose, cough* encouraged him to _open his effin' eyes_ , but he never could figure out just what they were saying. Why would he keep looking when the almost perfect woman was talking with him on the phone right now? And the icing on the cake was she no clue as to how he felt about her.

"I'll pay you."

"Bella." His voiced dropped as he dragged out her name. She knew better, but she wouldn't be Bella if she didn't make the offer.

"I don't want a freebie, Edward. I know your time and talent cost something."

"I'm happy to help you."

"But…"

"Okay. How about this. I help you in exchange for a home-cooked meal."

He could almost hear her smile. She knew he rarely took the time to cook and when he did, Emmett usually ate any and all leftovers. That is, if the dish even made it to the table.

And Bella loved to cook. She often earned extra spending money by preparing freezer meals for her friends or by supplying party snacks for tailgates and the like. Growing up in a single-parent household had taught her frugality, which she passed on to her classmates, and they greatly appreciated her sharing the cost savings.

"I'll make you lasagna in exchange."

"Throw in garlic bread, and it'll be perfect."

He smiled as she paused, knowing she was creating a list of ingredients she would need.

"I'll be up and moving around by nine if you want to come by then."

A quick rap on the door and Emmett stuck his head in.

"I'm going now," he said with a grin. "Just an FYI…Bella's staying in town as well." Emmett waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Edward rolled his eyes. There was no way he was going to tell her how he felt much less act upon it. He valued their friendship and her relationship with Alice too much. Alice would have his balls in her designer purse just for thinking about Bella that way.

Not that he had. Nope. Never happened.

" _How the hell did you get me roped into this?" Bella stage whispered to Alice as she held a red Solo cup filled with liquid of a dubious nature that had been pressed into her hand by the host, Mike Newton. She swore she saw it bubble ominously as it was ladled out. Maybe the smoky skull and crossbones above her cup was a figment of her overactive imagination but not a drop of that was going to pass her lips, no way, no how._

 _The stereotypical, high school senior's parents-are-away-let's-raid-their-liquor-cabinet-party was in full force, and Bella grew more uncomfortable by the minute. She was the chief of police's daughter, for goodness sake. She knew better than to put herself in this situation, but Alice had sworn she would go alone if Bella didn't accompany her. She could not let her friend do that and had come along._

 _Damn pixie had a crush on Garrett, a senior classmate with rugged good looks, and when he had mentioned the party in passing, she decided to gatecrash, even going so far as to obtain a ride with Mike's girlfriend. How they would get home would be determined later, but Alice was confident she and Garrett would hook up, he'd fall head over heels with her, and they'd start dating immediately._

 _Alice had found Garrett, all right. Just as the two walked through the door, he came out of the hall closet with a huge grin on his face and his arm wrapped around the quarterback._

" _I am so sorry, B!" Alice apologized, pulling her phone out of her bra and texting frantically. "Okay, okay, okay."_

 _Bella was instantly leery. Whenever Alice said things in threes, she was hiding something._

" _Edward and his hall mate will be here in ten minutes."_

" _Edward?" Bella squeaked, looking down at her outfit, a very obviously Alice-influenced pair of jeans, boots, low-cut sweater, and pushup bra that gave her modest Bs quite a bit of oomph._

 _Alice ignored her and motioned toward the front porch so they could watch for lights coming up the drive._

" _Jasper, that's Edward's hall mate," Alice explained, "has a car at U Dub and drove them home for the weekend as a surprise for Mom's birthday tomorrow."_

 _Their luck at going unnoticed failed just as a car approached. Mike reappeared at the girls' sides, preening and fawning._

" _Whatcha doin' out here?" he asked, making no attempt to hide the fact he was leering at both of them._

 _Bella rolled her eyes and reached for her handy dandy pepper spray just in case he got too close._

" _I forgot my boyfriend and Edward were coming home this weekend," Alice replied, moving between him and Bella while snapping her fingers over her head to get his attention away from Bella and her chests._

 _Jasper and Edward emerged from Jasper's 1968 Volkswagen Beetle and approached the porch, exchanging knowing looks between each other._

" _About time you got here," Alice said softly as she watched Jasper's every move._

" _Sorry to keep you waiting, Darlin'," Jasper replied, tipping his imaginary hat in deference to her. "Traffic was a bugger."_

 _Edward stood protectively next to Bella, and she curled into him as he slid one arm around her waist. The two watched as Alice wrapped her arms around Jasper's neck and drew him down to her level. To an outsider, it appeared as if she were kissing him, but she would later tell them she merely whispered quickly to Jasper what was going on and thanked him for playing along._

" _Thanks for keeping them company while we were on our way. Let's get these ladies home," Jasper announced before ushering Alice to the front passenger seat while Bella and Edward clambered into the back._

 _In the end, Edward had liked her outfit. A lot. He had particularly enjoyed being crowded in the back seat of Jasper's Beetle, a space so small she was almost in his lap and whenever they hit a bump or made a turn, she was even closer. He had also appreciated her leaning close and whispering what had happened at Mike Newton's party while Alice and Jasper exchanged goo-goo eyes the entire trip back to his home._

Emmett banged on the doorjamb to get Edward's attention, causing him to jump.

"Give Bella a call. I think she's staying in town this weekend." Emmett waggled his brows again, looking more like a former vaudeville player than a past linebacker.

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," he continued in a sing-song voice. "Oh, wait…you're too chicken shit to …"

Edward threw his pillow at Emmett and shook his head as his roommate cackled while he made his exit.

God, did everyone think he and she ought to hook up? And did they have to bring it up so frequently? While he was on the phone with her, even? Edward's head fell back against the headboard with a clunk.

"What was that all about?" Bella asked, curiosity filling her voice.

"Nothing!" he replied far too quickly, but mercifully, she dropped her inquiry.

He regretted ever telling Emmett how he felt even if was under the influence.

" _Bella's good people," Emmett observed as he closed the door behind her and Alice._

" _Yep," Edward muttered, glaring at a spot on the floor._

 _It had been a great birthday. Alice and Bella had made him a cake, taken him out to dinner, sung horribly off-key in front of the rest of the people at the restaurant, and then taken him and Emmett to his favorite sports bar to watch the Mariners win, keeping the pitchers flowing as long as the pitches flew._

" _She knows more about the Mariner's coaching staff than ESPN."_

" _Yep." Edward leaned back, knitting his fingers together and resting them on his belly, closing his eyes. He'd had a great time, laughing and talking with his friends and sister, cheering his team to victory. Bella had given him a gift certificate to a music store to get new strings for his guitar and kissed him goodnight on the cheek. Best birthday celebration ever._

" _I think I'm going to ask her out."_

 _Even with a healthy buzz working, the words sifted through Edward's brain. He sat up straight and stared silently at Emmett._

" _What?" his roommate asked, a strange gleam in his eye._

" _She's totally not your type."_

" _She loves beer, baseball, and burgers. And she's got…"_

" _Don't even finish that statement," Edward warned in a low voice as Emmett's hands had risen to his chest._

 _Emmett studied Edward for a moment._

" _Unless you're interested in her," he continued._

 _Edward spluttered and tried to think of a denial that wouldn't sound false, but he could not._

" _She's not really your type," Edward finally said._

" _Did you not hear the three Bs of perfection I used to describe Bellarina? And the fourth I would have said, but it about put your panties in a twist."_

" _It's disrespectful to women to judge them on their physical appearance."_

 _Emmett snorted. Not because he disagreed with the sentiment, but Edward was trying so hard to cover up his obvious feelings for Bella, it amused him._

" _Just admit that you like the girl."_

" _Of course I like Bella. I've known her since I was eight. She's my sister's best friend."_

 _Edward could tell by the look in Emmett's eyes that he didn't believe him._

" _And you want to date her, you want to kiss her, you think she's preeeeettttyyyy…" Emmett sang as he danced around the living room, causing loose items on every flat surface to bounce precariously._

 _This was getting ridiculous. Even if it was true. Had he met her in the bar tonight, he would have approached her, asked her for her phone number, maybe even asked her out on a date._

 _Maybe asked for more than a date._

 _But this was Bella, his long-time friend._

 _Edward took a deep breath._

" _Fine. Yes."_

 _Emmett stopped dancing and stared at his roommate in amazement._

" _Did you just admit it?"_

" _Fuck. Fine. Yes. But she's Alice's best friend and a good friend of mine, as well. I'm not about to ruin that by forcing anything to happen. She doesn't think of me that way. And I'm not about to make her choose between our friendship and a potential romance. And if you tell anyone, I'll tell them I was drunk and didn't know what I was saying."_

 _Edward stood and felt the room spin just a little._

" _Which isn't far from the truth. I'm going to bed."_

 _Emmett watched in stunned silence as Edward stumbled down the hall. Once the bedroom door closed, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick message._

 _He admitted it._

"Ohhhhh….kay," Bella said, not completely believing Edward's denial of anything going on. She would have sworn she heard Emmett call him 'chicken shit.' "Just have the coffee on when I get there, and we can get started."

"Sounds like a plan."

"I really appreciate this, Edward."

"My pleasure, Bella."

~~ES~~

Promptly at nine AM, the rhythm _shave and a haircut_ tapped on Edward's apartment door. After taking a quick look around at his freshly cleaned living room, making sure none of Emmett's debris remained, Edward headed toward the foyer and grinned at the bags she carried. She had enough food to feed an army.

Or an Emmett.

"Thought you didn't have a car," he chimed, taking a handful from her before placing a light kiss on her cheek in greeting.

He was thankful for the years his parents had lived abroad before they had children for it gave him the only chance to ever be this demonstrative with Bella. For his entire life, friends were greeted into his home with either a hug or a kiss.

She grinned up at him, a light blush gracing her cheeks as she accepted his welcome before turning back to her bags.

"I don't," she grunted, heaving the last two totes into the apartment. "But since it was such a nice day, I hoofed it."

"You could have called."

Bella shook her head. She was so used to being independent and doing her own thing, the thought never occurred to her. Besides, she enjoyed walking in the all too rare sunshine.

"I took a bus to the store if that makes you feel any better."

Edward nodded, knowing there was a delightful city market just a block or two down the street and the walk was quite pleasant.

He watched her head toward the kitchen, trying hard not to, but failing miserably. She looked fabulous. Alice had been using Bella as a model for some of her projects ever since high school, and once the clothing pieces were graded, they made their way into Bella's closet. The deep blue button up, tailored to accentuate Bella's curves, was one of Edward's favorites. Alice had even discovered a way to accessorize Bella's trusty Converse sneakers, making them fashioned approved yet comfortable.

He smiled when he saw the elephant bracelet on her wrist. He had bought it for her during a trip overseas the summer after his junior year. She had squealed and hugged him in pure delight. The feeling of happiness that inexpensive gift gave her was nothing compared to the emotions that had shot through him when Edward saw how much it pleased her.

"And I got enough to make an extra one for your freezer, so you don't have to deal with Emmett whining about hogging all of my cooking."

She knew the big lug so well.

Bella heaved a bag onto the counter before dusting her hands off and turning to face him.

"So, where do you want to start? With my project, I mean."

"Tell me what the assignment entails."

She began to pull items out of their bags and sort them by purpose as she spoke.

"I had to select a book I loved as a child and present it as if I was doing a story time. Then Tanya read the required questions at the end, and I answered them."

"You need help with that?"

Edward motioned to the piles she was creating and received a shake of the head in response. She had a system when cooking and would be done long before she could explain it to him.

"So what are the required questions?" he continued.

"Why I selected the book, what makes it special to me, how can I take something from my childhood and make it relevant to a digital-age kid…that sort of stuff."

"Sounds fun."

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm.

"Cutting board?"

Edward turned and pulled out the requested item.

"Thank you."

"Anything else?"

"Pot, baking dish. Spoons and knives, I see."

Again, he retrieved what she needed and laid them on the counter next to her.

Bella turned just as he approached and inadvertently walked into him. Edward caught her before she stumbled, and his arms wrapped around her. After ensuring she was stable, he released her, but not before noticing her cheeks were tinged a becoming shade of pink.

Before he could ask if anything was amiss, Bella cleared her throat and took a small step back. He immediately missed the contact, but knew he needed to think with the head on his shoulders if he didn't want to scare her off, or worse, anger her by crossing the unspoken line between the two of them.

"The purpose of the project is to help me think about why I select what I select. We're supposed to do more than just grab any random book off the shelf and throw it at the kids."

"I'm pretty sure they would call that abuse, Bella."

She maturely stuck her tongue out at him in response.

"Ha ha. So funny, Ed-weird."

"Ha ha. So very original, Isssss-a-bella."

She glared at him for he well knew that she hated her full name.

"Keep it up, and I'll leave the ricotta out," Bella threatened, waving one finger at him.

Edward threw up his hands in surrender, earning a victorious grin in response. After the almost fifteen years they had known each other, she knew his addiction to extra ricotta in both lasagna and calzones, and she was not above exploiting this love to get what she wanted.

"So," she continued, pulling a flash drive out of her pocket. "Here's the presentation in its roughest form. One file is the story; the other is the question and answer session."

He tried to take it, but she held on just a moment longer than necessary, biting her lower lip in worried frustration.

"Everything okay?"

Bella nodded as she released the flash drive.

"It's just a very personal story. I've got really great memories about it."

"Then I'll make sure to do everything I can to keep the integrity."

She smiled, knowing he would do exactly that.

Edward headed for the living room with his laptop and a pad of paper to make notes. He wouldn't dare make any changes or edits without asking Bella first.

After plugging in his ear buds, he pressed play and sat back to enjoy the show.

Fifteen minutes later, he paused the video. Bella had picked _The story of Babar_ by Jean De Brunhoff, and her retelling was flawless, complete with voices and a faint, lilting French accent. Edward couldn't picture anyone else telling the tale after this presentation.

"Everything okay in there?" Bella called, poking her head out of the kitchen door.

He loved how right she looked there, in his home, wearing the 'Beware, men cooking with fire' apron Alice had bought him for Christmas.

"Great! Halfway through. Finding everything?"

"Oh, yeah. I may kick Emmett out and move in with you. I'm in love with your kitchen."

Edward chuckled. Bella had often lamented the fact that the housing situation her and Alice shared left something to be desired, especially for someone who loved to cook.

"Not much needs to be done to the storytelling section. I might do a little tweaking here and there, but I made a list of where I thought it could use it. I'm about to start the question and answer session."

"Oh."

Bella's voice dropped off nervously. She clutched a kitchen towel in her hands, drying them repeatedly. She had really hoped he would be done with viewing everything by now.

"You okay?" Edward asked, tilting his head. He could tell she was concerned about something but had no idea what.

"Um… yeah. Like I said, the story is very personal."

"Well, I've known for years that was your favorite children's book."

She swallowed hard.

"And now you're going to know why!" she said with false bravado before disappearing into the kitchen.

Edward's brow crinkled at her odd reaction. He sat there, confused, for a few moments before setting aside the computer and heading into the kitchen.

Bella had her back to him as she chopped onions for her homemade tomato sauce.

He swore he heard her sniffle.

"Bella?"

She froze.

"What's wrong, love?" he asked, moving to stand before her.

"Just onions."

Bella kept her head down, her hair falling forward and hiding her face, but something about her body language did not ring true to him.

"Bella?"

He took the knife from her and placed it on the counter before carefully turning her to face him.

She still refused to meet his imploring gaze.

Edward lifted her chin with one finger, gently raising her face to meet his.

"Bella, please look at me."

She hesitantly opened her eyes. In them, he saw fear and sadness, and it broke his heart. With one thumb, he brushed away a fat tear that had rolled halfway down her cheek.

"Please tell me what's wrong? Your presentation was fabulous."

"It's not the presentation that has me nervous," she murmured in a soft voice.

"Then what is it? I've known you for fifteen years. You can tell me anything."

Bella paused as if thinking long and hard of how to answer him. This seemed so much easier when she had planned what to say and do.

"Ask me."

Edward had to strain to hear her.

"What?"

"Ask me why it's my favorite."

He was confused. A part of him felt as if he should know the answer, but he didn't, and it baffled him. He was an intelligent being, well educated, bright, and right now, he felt as if he knew nothing.

So he asked.

"Why is it your favorite?"

"I spent the first eight years of my life being dragged from place to place. I never had friends for more than a few months. I never went to the same school for much longer."

Edward nodded. He knew this part of her past. Bella's mother, Renee, was flighty by nature. Shortly after giving birth, Renee decided a small town was not the place for her and took away her daughter in the dead of night. After years of searching, Charlie, Bella's father, found his now ex-wife and daughter. He gained custody and provided a scared little girl permanence and a stable home.

"Then I started third grade at Forks Elementary," Bella continued. "My first day there, I met a fireball by the name of…"

"Alice," Edward interrupted, earning a nod in response. He well remembered the day his little sister came home, bragging about this new friend she had made and how they were going to go to the library the next day because _Marie_ had talked on and on about her favorite book and how one of the main characters was a very fashionable elephant named Celeste.

Even then, Alice had a love of all things stylish, and she was curious as to how an elephant, of all things, could be so. Her new friend promised to find the book, and the two could read it together.

Sixth graders were allowed to be library helpers, so Edward often spent his recess assisting Mrs. Cope in shelving books and making bulletin boards. He had heard crying from one of the back shelves and found a very upset _Marie_ crouched in between the stacks.

" _What's wrong?"_

" _No-fing."_

" _Doesn't look like no-fing."_

 _There was a kindness to this older boy's behavior. He didn't make her feel small. He looked like he was really listening to her. She felt a little brave at that moment._

 _The petite girl roughly wiped at her nose with the back of her hand._

" _I was looking for a book. The computer says a copy is on the shelf. And it's not here, and Alice is going to think I'm a liar and liars don't have friends and…"_

 _Edward raised his hand to stop the onslaught._

" _Are you Marie?"_

 _She shook her head, a scowl on her face._

" _Alice keeps calling me that because there's already another Bella in my class, and Mrs. Clapp doesn't want to get confused, so she has the entire class call me by my middle name. I don't want to be Marie."_

" _Then don't be." He held out one hand the way his father had taught him. "I'm Edward, Alice's brother. Pleased to meet you, Bella."_

 _She scrambled slowly to her feet and shook his hand after straightening to her full height._

" _Now," he had continued, "why were you crying?"_

" _I can't find the elephant shoes book."_

" _Elephant shoes?" He had never heard of such a thing._

" _Babar_ _."_

 _That made much more sense. Edward took a quick look at the shelves surrounding him and discovered they were in the '_ Ds _'._

" _You're in the wrong section."_

 _Bella bowed up, and her face grew dark._

" _Babar_ _is written by de Brunhoff."_

 _Edward nodded and motioned for her to follow._

" _Older cataloging rules ignored the 'de' and put the book under the '_ Bs _', and Mrs. Cope doesn't have time to go back and fix it."_

 _He had already heard that speech three times. De Brunhoff, De Paola…all were in the wrong place, at least in his mind._

" _Well, it's not right."_

 _Edward smiled and silently agreed. He had tried to get the librarian to correct it but to no avail. Moments later, he found the missing book and held it out to an ecstatic Bella._

" _Thank you!" She clutched the book to her chest. "Now Alice and I can stay friends!"_

And they had remained friends. All through middle school, high school, and now college, the two were almost inseparable. That did not mean everything was all sunshine and roses. The day Alice dressed Bella in a purple, furry onesie with stiletto-sharp high heels for her 'high fashion' project he was almost certain she would have killed him or Alice. Or both.

" _I look like Prince's Q-tip!" Bella shouted, seeing herself in the mirror for the first time._

 _Edward had the misfortune of walking into the living room at that particular moment and snorted at her comment, earning disparaging looks from both Alice and Bella. He would almost swear he heard a 'kill me now' being muttered._

" _Mary Alice Cullen, take your damn pictures and let me get the hell out of this thing," Bella demanded, hands on her hips._

" _Don't touch the faux fur!" Alice cried, brushing away the offending appendages before pulling out a hairbrush and fluffing up the nap._

 _Bella rolled her eyes before silently pleading with Edward to rescue her from this hell. He held his hands up in surrender. They both knew how Alice got with her creations._

" _If you ever say anything about this, I will end you, Cullen," Bella threatened._

" _What are you wearing?" he finally said, eyes bugged out at her appearance._

" _Peruvian dyed cotton with…" Alice began before Edward waved her off._

" _Forget I asked. Why are you_ _in_ _that?"_

 _Bella's stance softened, and she motioned toward Alice._

" _Anything for a friend, Edward."_

 _And he nodded, feeling the exact same loyalty._

Edward would not jeopardize that friendship, even if he felt sadder every time he thought about their relationship never moving out of the friend zone.

Bella took a deep breath as if steeling herself to continue.

"When I was eight, that book gave me my first stable friendships. Not just Alice and you, but it gave me the confidence to be more than just a transient student. I met Angela, Tyler, Eric. So many people. And… Just over seven years later, _The story of Babar_ helped me in another way."

Edward tried to remember what she was referring to but came up blank. When she was fifteen and a sophomore in high school, he was a freshman in college. Even though he frequently came home, there were plenty of life events that occurred to which he was not privy to knowing.

Sensing he had no idea what she was talking about, Bella started telling him the story.

"When I was a sophomore, I briefly dated someone."

Edward stiffened. Oh. Yes. He remembered.

Charlie, Bella's dad, had good friends that lived on the local reservation and one of those friends had a son, Jake. While Edward was still growing into his 6'2" frame, "he" was muscle-bound. Edward had untamable copper locks while Jake sported a black buzz cut. In other words, Jake was everything Edward wasn't, and it did a number on Edward's confidence. If this was what Bella wanted, Edward would never be able to compete. There were just too many differences.

 _Bella had stormed into the Cullen house, muttering under her breath._

" _Alice isn't home yet," Edward had called as she had begun to climb the stairs._

" _Freakin' fabulous," she grumbled, running back down the steps and flopping on the sofa next to him, dropping her Babar-decorated backpack on the floor._

 _Edward smiled as she crossed her ankles and plopped her feet on the coffee table as she folded her arms over her chest._

" _And hello to you, too."_

 _Bella blew through her pursed lips and tossed her head back with a groan of frustration._

" _Rough day?"_

" _That doesn't begin to touch it."_

 _Edward patted her leg comfortingly, earning another deep whimper._

" _What's wrong?"_

 _Bella peeked through one eye and weighed her words carefully before taking a deep breath._

" _Jakewantstokissme."_

" _Ex-squeeze me?"_

 _She laughed a rough, tired sound. This wasn't the Bella he had long known. Something was dreadfully amiss._

" _Jake. Wants. To. Kiss. Me."_

 _Bella enunciated each and every word, her voice getting softer and softer._

" _And?"_

 _He had no idea why he asked. Relationships were Alice's strong suit, not his. But this was Bella, and he could not imagine her kissing anyone._

" _He says it's what boyfriends and girlfriends do. That we've been dating a week, and he should get to kiss me."_

" _Uh-huh." This conversation took a turn Edward really did not want to go in. He certainly did not desire to think of Bella kissing anyone, really._

" _But I don't want to kiss him. I mean, I know guys don't think anything about first kisses, but I kind of have, and he's just not it for me. I want it to be special. Someone I deeply care for, even if it's not forever, but just that moment. I want it as a great memory." Her words flew faster and faster, yet he understood every single one._

" _I see." Edward looked toward the door, willing his sister to retur,n the sooner, the better._

" _I'm not even sure I really like-like him. You know. More than just a friend."_

" _Well, only you can make that decision."_

" _I mean, gah!" she started ranting, her face getting more and more a mottled red. "He's handsome and all, but there's not really a lot up here."_

 _Bella tapped her temple with one finger._

 _Edward tried to stifle a snort but failed._

" _He even insulted the true king of the jungle."_

" _Uh-oh." That was an unforgivable sin in her book, and Edward was surprised Jake lived to tell the tale._

 _Bella nodded, picking up her backpack and toying with the small, stuffed Babar that hung from one zipper. Alice had given it to her as part of a club Secret Santa exchange, although it really was Edward who had found it and insisted it would be perfect for Bella._

" _Jake thinks wolves are better than elephants."_

" _The nerve."_

" _Glad you understand."_

" _Bella, you have to do what you think…"_

 _But he never finished his sentence. Bella suddenly grabbed Edward's shirt and pulled him around and firmly kissed him._

The shock didn't fade until long after Alice had returned and the two girls had run upstairs to work on a project. His sister's best friend had kissed him. And he had been perfectly okay with that. However, in stereotypical Edward fashion, he blew it off, rationalizing she was upset at Jake, and it had not meant anything to her other than her avoiding Jake being her first kiss.

Sometime later, via a chatty e-mail from Alice, Edward would discover Bella broke up with Jake that very night.

By text.

And there had been no kissing between the couple.

A soft clearing of the throat brought Edward's attention back to the present.

"So…" Bella murmured.

"So."

Steeling herself, Bella turned to face Edward.

"So, I'm not going to go another seven plus years without telling you something."

"Okay."

Looking him straight in the eye, Bella mouthed the words _elephant shoes_.

He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she repeated the words, this time much slower.

Suddenly, he was no longer sure what words she was actually saying.

 _Elephant shoes_ looked exactly like…

Surely, she was not saying the same words he had taken to telling her for a long, long time.

I love you.

"Bella?"

"You've been telling me for years, haven't you?"

"Telling you?"

He felt his heart clench. She knew. And she was asking. Did he risk everything and tell her the truth, or just let it slide?

Edward's hands grew clammy, and he felt his heart race in his chest.

"I love you, Edward. I think I have in my own way since you first found me in the library, but we were both too scared to do anything about it for all these years."

He stared at her in shocked silence.

"Am I wrong? Am I wrong in thinking that you feel the same?"

Again, he did not respond. Edward wasn't sure what to say. He had hoped for so long just to get up the nerve to tell her and here she was, surprising him, by professing her feelings for him.

And he froze.

Bella's heart sank. She'd gambled and obviously been wrong that he felt the same, and now one, of her best friends was trying to figure out how to let her down easy.

How could she have been so… wrong.

Without looking up, Bella rapidly untied the apron and pulled it off.

She had to leave.

Mumbling an excuse, Bella turned off all the burners and then scrambled for her bag before she fumbled to get by Edward. But he would not let her pass, suddenly putting his arm out to stop her.

"Bella—"

His voice was barely above a whisper, but it seemed oh, so loud to her.

"Don't. Don't say anything. I need to go. Let me leave, please." Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she begged with him.

"No."

Edward patted his pockets and motioned for her to give him a minute before dashing to the living room, leaving her upset, confused, and alone in the kitchen.

But she waited. Because he had asked, she waited.

He quickly returned and pressed his phone into her hands. Now she was even more confused. Why did she need his phone? She had her own.

"Give me your phone."

"What?"

"Please?"

Something about the simple word and the look in his eyes made her hand over her phone.

She was baffled, and her heart felt way too tight for her chest. Bella had arranged with Alice and Rose to be out of town for the weekend, everything was planned out. She was going to come over, tell him how she felt, and he was going to reciprocate. Finally.

She was wearing her meant-to-be seen underwear, damn it all!

Edward's phone buzzed in her hand.

Confused, Bella looked down to see the words "Elephant Shoes" emblazoned across the screen.

She looked up at Edward to see him holding her phone to his ear, so she answered the call.

"Hello?"

Bella's eyes shot up to meet his, wide and questioning. Hopeful.

Edward slowly ended the call and placed her phone on the counter. To her, it seemed as though he was moving in slow motion, taking the phone in her hands and laying it next to his with a soft clunk. Bella found herself backed up against the counter with Edward's arms locking her in place.

He leaned in, brushed her hair back behind her ear, and whispered into her ear.

"I … talking to you about how I feel scares me."

"Scares you?" she scoffed, trying to look up at him, but he continued murmuring soft and low.

"Because you mean so much more, Bella. I never want this…" He motioned between the two of them. "To be weird. I don't want to lose our friendship if you didn't feel the same way."

Edward's hand caressed her cheek and lifted her chin.

"I love you, Edward," Bella murmured, hoping he'd lean in just a little.

Sliding one arm around her waist, he drew her closer.

"I'm going to kiss you now," he said, his free hand cradling her head, his fingers twining through her long, brown hair.

"Damn time," Bella replied with a grin.

Her eyes fluttered shut as he leaned down, his lips meeting hers.

Bella found herself on tiptoes, trying to get closer, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to lift her 5'3" frame up to his 6'2" height.

"I'm going to buy a step stool to keep here," she murmured.

Sensing her effort, Edward hoisted her up onto the counter before he drew closer and placed her legs around his waist. The soft gasp that she made as their bodies rubbed against each other pleased him.

"Or, you can do that again," she said with a giggle.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I love you, Elephant Shoes."

 **This was my entry (obviously) for the P.S. I love you contest. It earned Honorable Mention, Judges Choice, behind some pretty awesome authors *cough Born cough Gabby cough Remedy25 who I plan to check out now cough***

 **Again, loads of thanks to Fran for betaing and to you, the reader, for spending a few minutes of your precious time with my words and ideas. 3 you all.**

 **I'm traveling for the next week, but I hope to get a few words down to start publishing a new story in 2017. I've missed it terribly.**


End file.
